Dreams and Adventures: Route 1
Route 1: The World of Pokémon And so it all began, on that one day in a quiet peaceful town. It must have been roughly nearing noon-time, as the sun was shining brilliantly upon the landscape below. Within the town, in some grassy meadow surrounded by vibrant trees, two silhouetted figures stood adjacent of each other. They stood each other down in complete silence, as if waiting for the other to act first. One of them gripped their hand tightly in anticipation as the other kept watching. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, one of the shrouded figures arched their arm back, then swung it forward, looking as if they had released something from their grasp. The other individual quickly imitated the same action immediately afterward. "Go Nidorino" one of them shouted; "Go Gengar" the other exclaimed. Between the two stood a pair of what could only be described as monsters; one was a pink quadruped with large rabbit-like ears and a single horn protruding from its forehead, while the other was a frightening visage of a bipedal living shadow, standing with a rather stout physique and a sinister grin. Seemingly excited for this confrontation, the horned rabbit-like monster hopped back and forth a few times. Taking this as an opportunity, the owner of the living shadow outstretched their arm and gave a command; "Gengar, Scratch it!" The shadow, named Gengar, moved in to swipe at the opposing monster. "Nidorino, dodge it" the other person yelled; causing Nidorino to hop back and easily avoid the harmful scratch. Without missing a beat, both Nidorino and its commander prepared themselves for a retaliation; with Nidorino once again hopping in excitement and the commander extending their index finger forward in an authoritative manner. "Quick, before it attacks again, use your Horn Attack!" Nidorino complied with a nod before rushing in towards Gengar in order to stab the nightmarish creature with its horn. Just as Nidorino's horn was about to collide with Gengar, the sound of strange growling and roaring suddenly emerged. What appeared to be a couple of fighting monsters just a short while ago seemingly turned into a mock wrestling match between two young boys; both of which whom were now grappling with each other while making menacing faces and snarling. They kept at this for a minute or two before finally wearing themselves out. Exhausted, they ended up laying on their backs side by side, all the while allowing themselves to catch their breaths. From appearances alone, the boys were quite young indeed; with one appearing significantly older than the other. On the right was the older boy, sporting a blue T-shirt and equally blue jeans, along with white sneakers (which also possessed a blue zig-zag styled decal.) Next to him, the younger boy was wearing a plain white T-shirt, as well as the same blue jeans as the older boy. On his feet were a couple of tan work boots; both of which looked to be particularly useful for outside work. Perhaps what set them apart from each other most of all though was their hair. While the boys shared slightly similar eye colors (the older's being blue and the younger's being green,) the older boy had red hair while the younger had blue. Despite the difference in color though, the two shared the same hairstyle; both owning shaggy hair that typically fell down around every inch of their heads, including an inch or two of bangs that drooped over their foreheads. Once the two boys had finally caught their breaths, things began to fall silent for a bit. The blue haired lad looked up longingly at the white fluffy clouds floating overhead, while the red haired boy had his eyes closed and smiled contently. For a while, things were silent and calming as the two kept laying still and soaked in the pleasant weather. The peace wasn't meant to last however, as the red haired boy slightly tilted his head to the other boy and began to speak. "Man, I can't wait until we get real Pokémon!" For emphasis, the young man raised both fists into the air above him as his smile grew into a bigger grin. "Then we could have real Pokémon battles! And do all sorts of exciting things!" The blue haired youth tossed his head to the side in response; "sounds pretty cool. What do you think we should do first when we get our Pokémon?" The red haired boy lowered his arms as his grin relaxed back into the previous smile. Now in thought, he propped his arms behind his head and went silent for a few seconds. "...Guess I'll figure it out when the time comes. For now, I just want a Pokémon so bad." "Yeah..." sighed the other boy in agreement; now also dreaming of what a life with Pokémon would be like. Now you see, the reason they focused so intently on these things called Pokémon was simply because of the world they live in. Pokémon, short for Pocket Monsters, are strange, wondrous and whimsical creatures that have inhabited the planet alongside humans for an unknown length of time. Due to this coexistence, humans and Pokémon have learned to live with each other, and even work together for similar shared goals. In a world filled with at least 150 different kinds of Pokémon, humanity has discovered many equally different kinds of ways to enjoy the company of these creatures. Some care for Pokémon as pets and live with them at home, others diligently raise Pokémon to become strong and powerful in order to have them fight against other Pokémon for sport; and then there are those who study Pokémon in an attempt to better understand the many facets that make up these amazing beings. And these two boys we've been focusing on will some day too find their calling in this wonderful world of Pokémon. ---- After the make-believe Pokémon fight between the two, the boys had gone on to walking throughout their town; spending some more quality time in the meanwhile as they talked about anything that popped into their heads or caught their attention. After a few minutes of this, they stopped at one building in particular. Before the older redhead could proceed towards the door, the younger of the two spoke up, causing the young man to pause. "Hey Mike, are you actually sure about this?" The younger boy sounded worried for some reason, given the tone of his voice became stern, matching the caution in his eyes. The other boy, named Mike, turned around to face him. Mike's face appeared tired for some reason, and yet his voice sounded reassuring as he responded. "Look, trust me, I know what I'm doing here. I thought it out a whole lot, so there's no way we could get in trouble or in danger or something. If you're that worried though, then you don't need to come along. It'll just be the two of us; is that OK?" The young boy looked down for a second or two as he thought the proposal over. After that had passed, he looked back up, still looking somewhat concerned. "...No, it's fine. If something happens to you, then I want to be there to help. OK?" Mike's tired expression softly shifted into a warm smile. "Alright then, but that means I'm gonna work twice as hard to watch your back, got it?" The other boy gave a nod with his eyes closed. After that had finished, Mike returned to the door of the house he had been standing in front of. With a few knocks on the door, he then waited for someone on the other side to come out and greet him. It wasn't long until someone answered; the door's knob turned and the door itself gave way to the image of yet another young boy standing in the doorway. Closer to Mike's age, the boy's brown hair was as similarly shaggy as the other boys, but his in particular looked more unkempt, given the volume of hair sticking upward and the locks pointing to his right. His forehead was mostly visible, thanks to brushing his bangs to the right, but his ears on the other hand remained out of sight underneath the hair. His eyes were a lighter shade of blue than Mike's, and his outfit consisted of a hoodie with a red and white color scheme, black baggy pants, black leggings, and black sneakers with a gray highlight running from the laces to the heel. The boy stood there with his hand on the door, smiling happily upon his peers in front of him. "Hey bros! Great to see ya!" "You too, man," Mike responded; his smile matching the other boy's. "Did you need something?" the boy asked. Mike's eyes lit up. "Glad you asked," he began, "Shane and me had an awesome idea a little while ago, and we thought you'd like to join in." Mike directed his thumb towards the younger blue haired boy, evidently named Shane, who gave the brown haired kid a smile, yet his concerned eyes kept betraying him. The boy didn't seem to notice at first though, and instead focused his attention on what Mike had said. "An idea, huh?" Understandably, he looked intrigued, with his eyes fully locked onto Mike. "What is it?" Excited and full of anticipation, Mike's face beamed; looking as though he would explode at any minute. He paused for a second or two, simply for dramatic effect, and grinned momentarily as his excitement built. "...How would you like to finally get your own Pokémon?" The boy in the doorway could feel his eyes widen in shock, and he almost thought he felt his heart skip a beat. A marvelous, electrical sensation ran throughout his body as the thought sunk in. His own Pokémon, alongside two people he considered his 'bros.' Wasting no time, the boy responded back immediately. "Wait, what?! You mean we can finally get one?! But how?! I thought we had to wait a while before we got one!" The more the boy spoke, the more excitable he seemed to become. Mike snickered a little at this; feeling amused and satisfied with the reply he'd been given. "I know, I know," he started, "but I finally decided enough's enough. We're a lot older now, so I think we can be responsible for one. Plus, I think we're finally ready for that idea we always played with." "You mean-?" "Yeah! Yeah!" Mike's head furiously nodded in agreement. "Just grab as much stuff as you need and meet Shane and me near the edge of town, OK? We're gonna head home as quickly as possible and gather what we need to!" Mike and the other boy shared looks of unbridled enthusiasm, while Shane continued struggling with a mix of joy and apprehension. Whatever they were planning, Shane must have known it was risky. And yet, even his own concerns couldn't negate the thrill of having a Pokémon to call his own. It was perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity; one Shane didn't take lightly. Minutes passed as the trio of boys scurried to gather their belongings and meet at the rendezvous location. As they trekked along, they passed by fellow townsfolk; some of whom the boys would stop and greet along the way. One in particular, a man who appeared to be somewhere in his fourties or fifties, wearing a white coat and tan brown pants, carefully watched some of the boys as they raced along town; eyeing them rather suspiciously in fact. By the time anyone had reached the edge of town, it appeared Mike and Shane had made it first as a team; both looking a little winded from their excited packing and traveling, but still as eager as ever to obtain a real Pokémon of their own. They stood and sat every so often for a while as they waited on their companion. To reflect their outing into the wilderness, Mike and Shane dressed themselves a bit more appropriately. Shane put on a green coat (albeit leaving the zipper undone, revealing the white shirt underneath,) while Mike wore a black vest over his shirt, along with a pair of black fingerless gloves with grey trim around the wrists, and a blue baseball cap, which he decided to wear backwards for some uncertain reason. Around his neck appeared to be a silvery-gray rectangular pendant, kept safely attached to a chain link necklace. They both also brought backpacks, Shane's being a black bag with matching straps; shaped in a manner so that the bag was flat and square at the bottom, but became a rounded half-circle at the top. Mike's backpack was also a nigh-rectangular shape, albeit with teal coloration which also matched the straps. Comically enough, the bags looked overstuffed and about ready to burst; an indication that the two had overdone it a bit. In their hands were butterfly nets; obviously their tool of choice for Pokémon hunting. After a bit of waiting, Mike, laying on the grass once more with his backpack acting as a cushion for his head, broke the silence. "Man, why's Aries taking so long? I get it takes a while, but... Uggh." Clearly he was growing impatient now. Shane stood adjacent to Mike; leaning casually against the trunk of a tree and enjoying its comforting shade. "Maybe he got distracted along the way? He does kind of do that a lot after all," Shane replied. Mike sighed in admittance, "yeah... Just wish he'd hurry up though. We can't find Pokémon in the dark." A little more time passed by afterwards, making each moment feel like a lifetime for the boys. Just when they thought they'd be at their wits end, who else but the boy known as Aries would appear in the distance, with his own net in tow? Shane was the first to notice, as something caught the corner of his eye and Mike had his eyes closed for the time being; possibly taking the time to relax in the sun. "Mike! Mike! He's here!" Mike at first slowly opened his eyes. "Hm...?" As it dawned on him who Shane was talking about, his eyes flew wide open and life returned to his placid face. He shot up from the ground and scanned the land ahead of him. "Oh! Finally!" Wasting no time, Mike went to reclaim his ridiculously heavy backpack and accompanying net. Running at full speed with net in hand was Aries, smiling happily as he quickly closed the gap between him and the other two. Like Mike and Shane, Aries also added a bit more to his overall getup; now including black fingerless gloves like Mike, but asymmetrically sporting one (his left) with a dark brown trim instead of Mike's gray. Aries was also now wearing a simplified sun visor, with the brim of the visor turned to the right side of Aries' face, and the rest of the hat being a black band wrapped around his head. Also like Mike and Shane, Aries brought a backpack full of belongings as instructed; his retaining the same similar shape to Mike and Shane's, but colored light gray on top, dark gray on the bottom (with a red trim running along it,) a black pouch dividing the two halves, and a pair of green straps. And like the others, Aries had filled his pack to the brim with who-knows-what. Before Aries could speak, Mike decided to tease the kid a little; perhaps a resulting mixture of childish excitement and playfulness, and maybe even a dash of getting even with Aries for making Mike wait. "What's with the hat?" he chuckled. Mike pointed his finger at Aries' turned visor, prompting Aries' eyes to follow along and look up at it. Not one to let himself be teased lightly, Aries responded in kind by pointing at Mike's strangely backwards cap and giving a sly smirk. "Nothing; what's up with yours?" This quickly soured Mike's playful mood as his eyelids drooped in annoyance, and his smile lowered somewhat. "Fine, good point." Aries simply grinned and raised his net in both his hands. "Anyway, you guys ready?" Mike and Shane looked at each other for a second or so, then silently smiled at one another before returning their attention to Aries. "Ready when you are" Mike answered. And so the three boys began their master plan: To catch a Pokémon in the wilds outside their hometown, regardless of the danger they may face ahead. After a few steps along the untrimmed grass of the pleasant field around them, with nets ready and waiting, something made the boys freeze in place. A strange yet all too familiar sound shrieked out at them. It wasn't a Pokémon; as far as they knew, Pokémon didn't talk. This intimidating voice sounded human, and none too pleased at that. "Hey! Wait! Don't go out! It's unsafe!" The joy and enthusiasm Mike, Shane and Aries had during their brief outing was now overridden with shock and dread. They grimaced and cringed, now realizing more and more what kind of trouble they had gotten into. As they waited, the person the voice belonged to finally caught up to them. The boys turned to face the figure. What they saw made their stomachs sink. It was none other than the same fourty or fifty-something year old man from before, the one who had seen the boys traverse through town towards their end goal. Underneath his white lab coat was a purple dress shirt, and the tan pants he wore were fastened with a black leather belt. Accompanying his professional appearance were a pair of brown dress shoes. His hair looked like it was graying, but some traces of his former brown hair could still be seen on the sides. The hair itself was somewhat neatly combed, as it didn't obscure the man's forehead, ears or face, and never grew past the back of his head. Despite this, some cowlicks still stubbornly managed to hang carelessly to the right of his head. This man with the cowlicks and lab coat stopped to catch his breath; placing his hands on his knees and bending over slightly to do so. Once he had his air, he regained his posture and addressed the boys with a concerned-yet-authoritative tone. "Wild Pokémon live out here! You're clearly all aware of that, aren't you?!" The man narrowed his eyebrows, giving the boys an upset, stern look. The kids, still squirming deep down over getting caught, gave each other a knowing glance, then faced the man once more with an appropriate, though hesitant, nod. "Honestly...!" the man continued, "...And judging from the looks of things, you three were going to try and catch some, weren't you?" The boys sheepishly nodded again. Shane in particular felt especially bad, considering he was the one who knew something like this could have happened all along. For him, feeling justified in his beliefs was of very cold comfort. The man grunted in dismay and rubbed his forehead. "As impatient as ever... You need your own Pokémon for your protection. You can't just go out and catch one with your bare hands; wild Pokémon are far too dangerous for little boys. You could get seriously injured or worse." "Well, that's why we brought the nets," Aries interjected; "we had a plan set up for catching one." "I see," the man rebutted, "so the plan is to catch a Pokémon in some flimsy net that it can escape from with ease, risk getting hurt when it ends up attacking you to protect itself, and to weigh yourselves down with heavy packs to the point where you can hardly even run if you were attacked?" The boys remained silent for a while; obviously mulling over how ridiculous and dangerous the idea was in hindsight. Mike in particular looked especially crushed; the same light in his eyes from before having faded now. All in all, the boys looked defeated, their dreams being crushed by an angry old man before they had ever started. But such was life for a child, and such were dreams. Life has always been all too merciless to the naive dreamers who dared risk everything they had to find fulfillment in their lives. Children in particular had it rough; adults seemed to have rules about almost everything, making their dreams and hopes seem to always be just out of reach. The boys thought today could be different. If they put their hearts and souls into it and worked as hard as they could, maybe for once something would pan out for them. Unfortunately however, it appeared fate felt otherwise. A heavy silence filled the air once more. The boys were moping over their failed mission, and the stern man ahead of them kept his watchful gaze on them. Once the man had his fill, he let out an exhausted sigh. "Let's head back now; your parents would be upset if I left you out here alone." Without any resistance, the three boys agreed to the man's terms and began making their way back down to the town; all without having caught, or even seen, a single Pokémon. ---- The journey back to town was a quiet one, save for the sound of footsteps of course. Sometimes a soft, disparaged sigh could be heard from time to time, but that was mostly it. The elderly man was in the lead, allowing the children behind him to follow diligently at a reasonable pace. All the while, this concerned adult looked to be deep in thought from time to time; only ever pulled from his thoughts by a passerby or a turn in the road. After a while of traveling back to what the boys could only think of as the world's worst scolding ever, the elderly gent stopped in his tracks, causing his young charges to do the same. The trio looked at him with confused faces all around; after all, weren't they immediately going back home to be punished? Something seemed off all of a sudden. That's when the man finally spoke up again. "I know! Here, come with me!" The boys looked at each other, now even more confused. Despite their feelings, they knew they could trust this guy; he's been a respectable figure in town for years and everyone knew him well. He surely wouldn't be pulling any funny business... would he? Putting aside any uneasiness they felt, the boys did as instructed and followed the man along his new course. After only a minute or two of crossing the small town, the man had lead the boys to a famous landmark in town; the man's place of work, known to the townsfolk as 'Professor Oak's Laboratory.' Still confused but willing to go along with this, the group joined Prof. Oak in entering the building and later working their way across halls and rooms filled with bookshelves and lab assistants performing various tasks. The boys had never been inside the Oak Laboratory, and so the new sights, smells and sounds were equally astounding, puzzling and very overwhelming. Finally, the trek from the edge of town had reached its conclusion. Oak and the boys were now near the back of the lab, where Oak would work. His personal collection of research books lined the walls and in the corner of the room was a PC. Perhaps most astonishingly to the boys was a table that sat in front of them, with Oak standing firmly next to it. On the table were none other than three Poké Balls; a man-made capsule-like contraption which was invented to store Pokémon. They were shaped like small balls, roughly the size of baseballs or so, and were colored red on top and white on bottom; with a black groove separating the halves. On the front of the ball was the invention's iconic design, a white button circled by the same black trim. The boys' eyes widened; their gloomy disposition quickly vanishing upon the sight of something so glorious. Could it really be...? Those devices, they certainly heard of them before, but... Could their dreams of Pokémon ownership actually be coming true at last? Or was this merely a pipe dream being spurred on by happenstance? The boys weren't sure about much right now, but what they were sure of was that they were within a foot or so of what could possibly be three Pokémon sitting in front of them right now. The excitement they felt while outside town was returning to them. Even Shane, who had been cautious the whole time, felt nothing but wonder and excitement as he stared at the orbs before him. "Now then, Shane, Aries, Michael," Professor Oak started, catching the boys' attention immediately afterward, "I realize you all have a genuine love of Pokémon and are eager to keep one, despite your youth, inexperience and the responsibilities that may come with it." The children's eyes became glued to the professor as they hung on every word he was saying. They knew it was an important moment, and with possible Pokémon involved, they couldn't risk making the slightest mistake. "When you have reached my age, you tend to notice these things. I can see it in your eyes even now! No doubt one of you will most likely try something outrageous like this again..." As Oak briefly trailed off, he gave Aries a particular look. Given the town they lived in was so small and the citizens knew each other quite well, Aries undoubtedly knew Oak was singling him out with that remark. Despite feeling some offense, Aries tried to swallow his pride as best he could for the sake of potentially earning a Pokémon. Oak continued with his lecture; "and with that put into consideration, and because I can sympathize with you young boys, I am willing to be lenient this time. As much as I should continue to scold you for your shenanigans..." Oak closed his eyes, let out a small sigh, and leaned his head downward for a brief second. Picking his head back up and opening his eyes, he turned his head to the table next to him, which prompted the boys to do the same. "I'm instead going to allow you three a chance to prove yourselves to me. As you can see, there are three Pokémon here. They are each inside one of these Poké Balls." Simply hearing the confirmation of actual Pokémon before them almost made Aries, Michael and Shane tremble with glee. The excitement and anticipation in the air was building even more. "When I was young, I was a serious Pokémon trainer, but now in my old age, I only have three left to give away to promising new trainers. Normally I would wait until someone has met my standards for qualifying as a trainer, but you boys will be an exception to the rule today." Oak redirected his gaze back to the now anxious kids, whom in turn looked back at Oak. "For three days, I'll let you borrow a Pokémon. Once those three days are over, you'll come back and visit me again. Understood?" The boys had mixed responses. Shane silently nodded his head, while Michael averted his eyes and made a thoughtful expression; clearly unsure about the offer at hand. Aries, the boldest of the three however, spoke his mind. "Why do we need to come back in three days? Are you just going to take away our Pokémon?" Aries looked indignant. How could the famous and well respected Prof. Oak even consider toying with their hopes and dreams like this? It was a thought Aries couldn't stand, and his feelings were reflected in his blue eyes. Oak, as sharp as a renowned elderly researcher should be, caught on to this in a heartbeat and responded the best he could. Shane and Michael simply looked at the two in confusion. "I'm already bending the rules in you boys' favor, Aries. All I simply ask is that you do a small favor for me in return. If that's too difficult a task for you though, I suppose you'll be happier off without a Pokémon, yes? That way you don't have to worry about losing it later." Aries gave an irritated frown. He didn't quite trust what the professor was up to, but now he was being put into a corner. He stood there for a while, glaring at the Poké Balls on the table, then to Oak, and then back to the balls. In the meantime, Oak looked over to Michael and Shane. "Do you two have any problems with this too?" The boys looked at each other for a while, seemingly trying to read each other's thoughts with a look alone. Shortly after, turning back to Oak, Michael was the first to respond. He shook his head. "No Professor," he said in a dull tone, "I'll come back after three days." "Very good," Oak replied. "And how about you, Shane?" Shane hesitated for a minute. On one hand, he understood Aries' feelings and concerns. He didn't want to get attached to a Pokémon of his own and then have it be taken away. But at the same time, he began piecing together what Michael was doing too. Even if it was risky to accept a vague request for something so priceless, Michael looked as though he had somehow buried his fears for the sake of his dream. After all, it's better to have love and lost than to never have loved at all, right? Shane's gut felt itself tying into knots as he tried to find an answer to Oak's request. He looked down to the floor and fought with himself for a while; Oak patiently observing the boy as any experienced scientist would observe an experiment. Eventually, the pros outweighed the cons. Shane picked his head back up and looked straight at the professor."...OK" he spat out. Oak smiled in return. He positioned himself so that he was facing the Poké Balls. "Very well then boys, you may each choose one Pokémon." He motioned his left hand to the balls and awaited the boys' next move. Before anything could happen though, Aries spoke up. "I'll do it," he firmly stated. A fierce, bold look of determination stretched over his face. "If my brothers are in, then so am I. I don't want them to go through this without me." Oak, Michael and Shane all looked at Aries. Oak gave a soft, pleased smirk, while Michael and Shane stared at Aries in awe. They could almost feel the compassion emanating off of him. Oak once more turned his attention to the Poké Balls, still with his hand outstretched. "Alright then Aries, you may choose a Pokémon too" he calmly replied. The time had finally come at last; all this waiting, all this time spent, finally leading up to the moment that had been weighing on their minds since as far back as they could remember. The trio of boys looked at the Poké Balls in front of them. They could feel their heartbeats start to race. Michael in particular seemed to be breathing a little harder than his peers were. At an unorganized pace, Aries, Michael and Shane approached the table and its contents. They stared with wide eyes at the balls resting below them. They then gave each other a look of awestruck excitement, and of concern. That's when Michael unexpectedly backed up from the table, to the surprise of everyone there. "What's up Mike? Are you OK?" Aries asked. Michael nodded confidently. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just that, it dawned on me that I'd be happy with whatever I get. I love all Pokémon, so I'm not picky about which one I end up with." Oak kept smiling as he watched Michael explain himself. "But I don't know what you guys want, so I'll let you both choose first, and then I'll take whatever's left." The boys once again exchanged looks. Shane and Aries then looked down at the Poké Balls in front of them; now pondering over Michael's offer. Aries looked at Shane next, who was still going over all three balls. Feeling moved by Michael's gesture, and knowing Shane was the youngest of the three of them, Aries decided to do the same. He backed away from the table and walked closer to Mike. "I know what'cha mean, bro," he said. "I'm cool with whatever I get too, so I'll wait with you." Michael smirked in response; looking amused by his brother's behavior. "Alright then, I guess it all comes down to Shane." He looked at his younger brother near the table, who now was staring back at both of them. "...If that's OK with you" Michael added. Shane again looked at the Poké Balls, and then to his brothers. "...Are you sure?" Aries grinned and Michael enthusiastically nodded. "Don't sweat it, we'll be OK," Aries reassured Shane. Michael chimed in alongside him; "yeah, we really don't care what we get. We just want a Pokémon, that's all. You're the youngest, so you should get to choose first anyway. I mean, that's what mom and dad told us after all." Shane slowly returned his focus to the Poké Balls. "Well, OK then..." he meekly responded back. Despite his worries, Shane was still feeling excited. As the youngest, Shane admittedly wasn't sure which Pokémon to choose. He had no idea what their names were, or what they could do. As he peered closer to one of them, he could start to make out a silhouetted form hidden underneath the red upper half of the ball; something he didn't quite notice from a foot or so away before. He reached his hand out and picked the ball up to examine the creature within. It looked... reptilian, to say the least? It was hairless, had a head, a torso, two arms and feet with claws at the end of each, and a tail which had the most striking feature attached to its tip. Peculiarly, this Pokémon's tail had a burning flame at its end! Inside the ball, its head was drooped downward and its eyes were closed; it was napping in its capsule home. While Shane studied the Pokémon, Oak broke the silence as he began to talk once more. "So! You want the fire Pokémon, Charmander?" he asked. Shane looked up at Oak with a quizzical look, then looked back down at Charmander. "Charmander..." he thought to himself. He looked at the other balls and noticed the Pokémon within them. After some double-checking, a strong gut feeling struck the boy. He still hadn't made a conscious decision on his part, but something in the back of his mind started influencing him. The more he looked at Charmander, the stronger this feeling got. With almost a minute passing since Shane picked up Charmander, he finally faced Prof. Oak. Calmly, he answered back, "yeah, I'd like Charmander please." Oak let out a playful chuckle and smiled at the boy. "Alright then; Charmander is yours." Without wasting a moment, Oak looked back at Michael and Aries. "So, now it's your turn. Who's next?" Aries and Michael turned to face each other. "You wanna go next?" Aries asked. "That's OK," Michael replied, "you should choose next." "But you're a year younger than me," Aries reminded him. "If Shane went first because he's the youngest, then you should go next because you're the second youngest." "But we're so close in age! Does it really matter right now? Besides, what if I end up taking a Pokémon you want? It doesn't seem fair." "But we both said we don't care which one we get!" Aries dramatically swung his arms out to the side as he talked. "So you should go ahead and pick one already, then I'll pick mine." "I guess..." Michael sheepishly replied. He turned his head away from Aries and rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. "C'mon Mike, it's OK, I promise," Aries once again reassured. Michael tilted his head in the other direction. "Erm..." Nearby, Oak gave a soft sigh as he watched the boys discuss their plans. "Those two, I swear. Even when it comes to something as simple as picking Pokémon, they can still find a reason to bicker..." Shane on the other hand, was hardly noticing the scene unfolding. He was more preoccupied with examining his Poké Ball, and his Charmander. As Michael and Aries kept trying to outdo each other in terms of politeness, Oak decided enough was enough, and immediately intervened. "Ahem," he began with a clearing of his throat. Aries and Michael looked back at Oak. "If you two can't decide on who goes next on your own, then... I dunno... Decide it with rock-paper-scissors or something. Anything really!" The two boys looked back at each other and gave each other a silent, knowing nod. What proceeded were a couple of rounds of rock-paper-scissors, which comically ended in multiple ties. Oak groaned a little as his hand reached up to cover his face. It was going to be another while before everyone could move on. Eventually though, a victor was decided. Aries had outsmarted Michael by using paper to cover his rock. Aries smiled in triumph; "looks like you're next after all. Sorry 'bout that, bro." Michael, disappointed with his outcome, let out a low moan in defeat. "Mmmhh... It's OK, you won fair and square. Guess I'll pick my Pokémon now." Finally, it was Michael's turn. Like Shane, he approached the table and scrutinized the Pokémon nearby. Between the two, there was what appeared to be a turtle and... some kind of... frog-dinosaur-reptile-plant creature...? Whatever it was, it looked just as enticing as the turtle, only serving to further make Michael's decision difficult. "Uhh..." he wondered aloud as he carefully compared the two. It took what seemed like yet another lifetime for the group in the lab as Michael dragged on and on with which Pokémon he'd choose. After a while, what felt like some kind of guiding force drew Michael's hand closer to the ball with the turtle inside. Like Charmander, it appeared to be sleeping. However, unlike regular turtles, this one was napping in an upright position, and had a long tail that ended in a swirly pattern. He couldn't figure out why, but something within him said to pick the turtle. And so he did; he grabbed the ball and held it close to his face. Oak commented once more on the decision. "So it seems you'll be keeping the water Pokémon, Squirtle; is that right?" Michael looked back at Oak; "yeah," he plainly answered. "In that case, I guess Aries will have the plant Pokémon, Bulbasaur." Aries walked up to the remaining Poké Ball and snatched it from the table. He looked at his Pokémon as well. "Bulbasaur, huh? Heh, strange-looking little dinosaur-plant guy, isn't he?" Aries smiled as he watched Bulbasaur snooze in the ball; it looked so peaceful. "Well I suppose that wraps things up here," Oak announced. "Oh! But one last thing before you go;" the boys glanced up from their Pokémon to give the professor their full attention. "If you'd like, you may give your Pokémon a nickname. Think of it as its own personal name. Like... Like how your parents named you for instance." The boys seemed even more puzzled. There was still that concern that this was all a temporary thing set up by Prof. Oak. So why name something that you would end up giving away later? They stared at their Pokémon, wondering what their next course of action should be. Without even thinking about it, Michael spoke up. "...I think I'm gonna call him Squirt." "Squirt, ay?" Oak prodded. "Yeah, it's short for Squirtle, and because he looks like such a little guy in there." Michael smiled as he kept staring at Squirt inside the Poké Ball. Even if the whole thing seemed fishy, simply holding a real Poké Ball, owning a real Pokémon, and giving it a name of his own choosing made Michael feel as if this was all worth it in the end. Following his lead, Aries and Shane began giving serious thought to naming their Pokémon too. First it was Aries. "Drazil," he bluntly said. Oak, Shane and Michael looked at him in confusion. "Drazil, now that's a name you don't hear often," Oak teased. "It's a name that has a deep, personal connection to me. I want my first Pokémon to have that name." Like Michael, as Aries looked at the napping Drazil, he couldn't help but smile and feel a sense of accomplishment wash over him. And now finally, it was Shane's turn. Like Michael, Shane took a while to plan his decision out thoroughly. After some time, it hit him. "My Charmander's gonna be called Tupac." Everyone looked at Shane now. Oak and Aries seemed amused, while Michael was merely confused by the name. "Uhh, Tupac?" he asked. "Ah, I get it" Aries replied. "'Cause he spits hot fire!" Oak chuckled as he watched the brothers amuse themselves with their new Pokémon. Michael however, still remained dumbfounded. "I still don't get it..." he said. "I wanted to name him after someone cool" Shane answered while he smiled down at Tupac. Michael shrugged his shoulders. "Well, good enough for me. So long as you like the name, that's all that matters." "Well then," Oak intervened, "I believe that's that. Now that you have your Pokémon, you can go back home and do whatever you like. But remember, you have to come back and see me in three days." Oak raised three fingers to emphasize his point. "Yeah, we understand. Thanks Professor," Michael replied back. And with a wave of the hand, Oak bid farewell to the visiting boys as they started marching down the room to the door on the adjacent wall. Well, that is, until Michael thought of something. With a small grin and a serious look in the eyes, Michael made a hard swing with his arm and threw the Poké Ball forward. "C'mon out, Squirt!" Everyone else was shocked by the sudden outburst. As the ball hit the floor, a loud popping sound filled the room, complete with what looked like the Poké Ball splitting in half along the black groove. Within a split second of this, a cloud of smoke covered the floor. As it dissipated into air, there stood Squirt the Squirtle, shaking his head to get the cobwebs out from his nap in the ball. Full attention was focused on Mike and Squirt, as the boy happily stared down at his own Pokémon, and the Pokémon in turn scanned the room, looking confused and curious. After getting an eyeful of Squirt, Michael calmly, yet cautiously, approached the small blue turtle. He kneeled down in front of it, then scooped it up into his arms. Squirt simply looked up at Michael, still seemingly confused as to what was happening. Michael's eyes seemed to glisten as he stared at the Squirtle in his arms. He loved how it felt to be holding a real Pokémon; how it looked up at him and met his gaze. It felt like he was starting to grow attached to Squirt then and there. "This is too cool..." he managed to say, despite almost feeling like he was choking up on the spot. Understandably egged on by what they saw, Shane and Aries tossed their Poké Balls as well. "Drazil!" "Come out Tupac!" The balls popped and split open, revealing more smoke and two other Pokémon. They stood near their respective owners on the floor, equally as dazed as Squirt had been. Prof. Oak could only slap his forehead in response. "Why do these kids always have to make such a ruckus?!" he grimaced in disbelief. Like Michael, Aries and Shane cautiously drew closer to their Pokémon. Tupac let out a loud yawn as he scratched his stomach; meanwhile, Drazil was still in the same sleeping posture as he had been in within his Poké Ball. Shane picked Tupac up by the armpits and held him a few inches away; mindful of the fiery tip at the end of his tail. "Hi Tupac, I'm Shane," the boy sweetly greeted his Charmander. Tupac blinked a few times, unsure of what to make of all this. As Aries brought his hands closer to scoop Drazil up, Drazil suddenly opened one of his eyes and gave a sharp glare at Aries. Aries stopped for a moment, as the strange look took him by surprise, but he quickly disregarded it and kept moving in. Seemingly not amused by his advancement, Drazil closed his eye and turned around so that his rear would be facing Aries' face. Drazil also let out a small grumbling growl as he tried to get comfortable on Oak's marble floor. "What the...?" Aries wondered out loud; now frozen in place. "Drazil, what's up with you? Are you mad at me or something?" "That Bulbasaur in particular is, well, how do I put this?" Oak answered the boy. "Drazil's, well, a bit of a problem child you see." "Problem child?" Aries raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "Yes," Oak nodded, "you see, Drazil is... somewhat of an oddball I suppose." This immediately got Drazil's attention; causing his eyes to open and for his focus to shift squarely upon Oak himself. Prof. Oak noticed this and looked down at the Bulbasaur. "Hm?" Before he could even think of what was going on, Drazil got up from the floor and charged for Oak without any hesitation. "Wah!" Oak yelled as Drazil leaped into his stomach with a painful headbutt, knocking the professor to the floor on his butt. Drazil landed gently on all four of his feet and went about finding a shady spot under the table to nap. This outburst caught the attention of everyone there, including Squirt and Tupac. "Oof..." Oak moaned while placing one hand over his stomach. Michael rushed over to offer a free hand to help pull Oak up off the floor, while cradling Squirt in his other arm. As Oak returned to his feet, he tried to finish his thought from earlier. "Heh, you see what I mean? It's hard to read that one's mind. It does whatever it wants, whenever it wants. It also loves getting into all sorts of mischief and trouble. That's why I prefer keeping him in the Poké Ball, where he won't cause any more problems." Aries looked down at his eccentric Bulbasaur. "What did I get myself into?" he muttered. Michael looked around, delighted to see him and his brothers with their new Pokémon. The dream he had envisioned for so long was now coming true; it was almost unreal. That's when one last thought creeped into his head. He placed Squirt down on the floor and faced Shane. "Hey Shane, before we head out, I'd like to ask you something." Shane went from admiring Tupac to looking straight at his older brother. "Yeah?" he asked. Michael grinned, "how about we have a Pokémon battle for real this time?" Shane's eyes grew as the thought sunk in. He had almost forgotten about Pokémon battling due to all the excitement of the day. A smile began stretching along his lips as he thought more about it. If pretending to battle with Pokémon against Michael was fun before, then surely the real thing must be even better. Shane gently placed Tupac down onto the floor, then turned to face Michael head on. "Sounds good to me," he responded. And so there they were, two brothers standing a few feet apart from one another, with Pokémon standing by their side. Both with a look of competitive determination in their eyes. Their first real Pokémon battle was now going to commence. Category:Wyvern 0m3g4